Reference Resources

Research Guide No. 9

U. S. SUPREME COURT RECORDS, BRIEFS, AND CASE STATUS Washburn University School of Law Library

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WASHBURN'S HOLDINGS

The Law School Library has an excellent collection of U.S. Supreme Court records and briefs. From 1975 to date, the Law Library's holdings of argued and unargued cases are comprehensive.

Years                Holdings                                                                    Format

1793-1974      Landmark Briefs and Arguments (selective)                book
1974-1975      All argued cases                                                        microfiche
1975-date       All argued and non-argued cases                              microfiche
1953-date       Oral argument transcripts                                          microfiche

Items in microfiche can be reproduced in paper or microfiche formats (inquire at Reference Desk). Each copy reproduced is 10 cents. All of the materials noted above are housed in the microform room.

The following descriptions of specific holdings are intended to facilitate use of the collection:




1.       LANDMARK BRIEFS AND ARGUMENTS OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 1793-1974.

This 80-volume set, published by University Publications of America, Inc., contains documentation of the U.S. Supreme Court's major constitutional cases selected by University of Chicago law professors Philip B. Kurland and Gerhard Casper. These materials are for use in the library. An alphabetical index of cases included in this set is located at the end of the collection. Location: Top of microfiche cabinets on the left as you enter the Microforms room.

2.       LAW REPRINTS: U.S. SUPREME COURT RECORDS AND BRIEFS 1974-75 term through 1979-80 term.

Location: Microforms room. Microfiche file cabinets are labeled

for quick access and are in the first bank of cabinets on the right as you enter the room.

Microfiche are filed by docket number within the term of court in which a decision was

rendered. (The term begins in October. Hence, a case decided in March 1978 would be filed

with other cases of the 1977-78 term.)

For the 1974-1975 term our collection contains records and briefs from cases that were

argued before the court. From the 1975-1976 term forward our holdings consist of argued

cases and non-argued cases ruled on.

3.       IHS AND CIS: U.S. SUPREME COURT RECORDS AND BRIEFS 1980-date.

The Law library's IHS and CIS microfiche are filed by the term of court in which a decision

was rendered, by category of case (certiorari denied, summary disposition, or full opinion),

and by docket number within these categories. Briefs are sent in approximately 14 shipments

per term.




4.       COMPLETE ORAL ARGUMENTS OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1953-date.

The Law Library receives complete transcripts of oral arguments in microfiche. A bound

index, placed on top the microfiche cabinet, provides access by docket number and by case

name for the 1953-1986 terms. For the 1988 term to date there are index cards filed behind

the index tab for each term.


LOCATING NEEDED MATERIALS

Your use of the U.S. Supreme Court briefs collection will be made easier if you know the following information about a particular case:

a. Name of case


b. Term of court decided


c. Docket number


d. Type of case (cert. denied, full opinion, summary disposition)

If you have only part of this information, check at the Reference Desk for assistance in obtaining the rest of it. Note that since our filing system is based on docket number within term of court, that information is most critical.


OBTAINING DOCKET NUMBERS

To obtain a DOCKET NUMBER when the case name is known, several approaches can be taken:

1.       If the citation to the reported decision is known, merely look up the case in U.S., S.Ct.

          or L.Ed. to obtain docket number, term of court and type of case.

2.       If the citation to the reported decision is not known,

          a. Consult the table of cases in one of the following sources to obtain the cite so that

              you can look up the case:

U.S. SUPREME COURT DIGEST (L. Ed.) Law Ref KF 101.1 .A313

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DIGEST (West) Stack 311 (3^rd

Floor)

b. Use a LEXIS segment search in the US (U.S. Reports) file of the GENFED library

    to retrieve the full text opinion containing the docket number. For example, a search

    request to retrieve Roe v. Wade would be: NAME (Roe pre/6 Wade). A similar

    approach could be used with WESTLAW.

3.       If the case name and term of court are known, obtain the docket number from the

alphabetic index of cases kept at the front of each term's holdings in the microfiche

cabinet or in the tan index volume on top of the cabinet (1953-1986 terms).


WHAT IF THE BRIEFS YOU NEED ARE NOT IN THE COLLECTION?

If you need briefs from a pending case that are not on LEXIS or WESTLAW or have not yet arrived in our library, check with a Reference Librarian. The library has access to a fee-based research service that receives copies of briefs within a week after filing with the U.S. Supreme Court. Also, it may be possible to obtain briefs from counsel.

Since our collection prior to 1974 is selective rather than comprehensive, you may need briefs we do not have if you are doing retrospective research. As a member of the Mid-America Law School Library Consortium we have ready access to the holdings of academic law libraries in the region. Check at the Reference Desk on the main floor if you need interlibrary loan assistance with briefs.


U.S. SUPREME COURT BRIEFS ON LEXIS AND WESTLAW

In LEXIS, filings for U.S. Supreme Court cases argued beginning with the October 1979 term

are contained in the BRIEFS file of the GENFED library. Transcripts of oral arguments are available since the 1989 term in the USTRAN file of the GENFED library.

In WESTLAW, Merits and Amicus Briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court are available for cases in which cert has been granted or probable jurisdiction has been noted and for which oral arguments have been scheduled. Merits Briefs beginning with the 1990-91 term and Amicus briefs starting with the 1995-96 term are contained in the SCT-BRIEF database. Transcripts of oral arguments are available since the 1990 term in the SCT-ORALARG database.


SELECTED INTERNET RESOURCES

The Oyez Project of Northwestern University contains audio files of oral arguments since 1955 <oyez.nwu.edu>.

A weekly summary of U.S. Supreme Court activities is available via e-mail from Willamette University School of Law <www.willamette.edu/law/wlo>.

Synopses (syllabi) of decisions prepared by the Reporter of Decisions of the U. S. Supreme Court are available via e-mail from Cornell University's Legal Information Institute <www.law.cornell.edu/focus/bulletins.html>.

WashLaw Web <www.washlaw.edu> Courts enables researchers to conduct key-word searches of U.S. Supreme Court opinions from 1937-1975. Links to FindLaw's Supreme Court Opinions <www.findlaw.com> and Cornell's Supreme Court Collection <supct.law.cornell.edu/supct> are also found there. Some case status information is available at both sites.

United States Law Week Supreme Court Today, an extensive U.S. Supreme Court case tracking service (paid subscription), is available by contacting a librarian at the Reference Desk.


PREVIEW OF UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT CASES

Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases is a service that strives to "concisely and clearly analyze all cases given plenary review by the Court during the present term." Prepared by law professors, the analyses include the issues, facts, analysis, significance and contact information for each case previewed. Washburn Law Library's holding are complete since 1981. Current issues are on reserve. Issues from prior terms are bound and housed in the main stacks at K 16 .R484. Preview is on LEXIS from 1991 in the PRE-VU file of the ABA, GENFED and several other libraries. WESTLAW's coverage is from 1989 in the SCT-PREVIEW database.

Rev. 9/99 jec